Jim Ingraham: Defense is hampering Cleveland Indians most to start 2014 season

Kansas City Royals' Jarrod Dyson (1) steals second as the ball gets away from Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis in the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 24, 2014, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

They just went oh-for-California. They were of oh-for-San Francisco, oh-for Anaheim, and oh-no! for April.
Oh boy.
This is not the kind of start the Indians had in mind.
They went 11-17 in April and finished the month in last place in the Central Division, with the second-worst record in the American League.
In April last year they were 11-13, but they at least outscored their opponents, 120-109.
This year they went 11-17 in April and were outscored 132-104.
A year ago, they finished April in fourth place, 3 1/2 games out of first.
This year: last place, and 5 1/2 games out of first.
All this after that electrifying 21-6 finishing kick in September, and regular season-ending 10-game winning streak sprint to the wire. But apparently the statute of limitations for baseball momentum expired sometime during one of those January blizzards.
So as May begins, the good ship Wahoo is sitting quietly, smack in the middle of Lake Tito, sails hanging limply from the masts. Waiting ... waiting ... waiting desperately for a wind, a breeze, a gust ó anything.
Instead: dead calm.
Only April fools define a season by its first month. But the Indians are already eight games behind the Tigers in the loss column, and if the Tigers are the measuring stick in this division ó which they are ó the Indians, one month into the season, havenít measured up.
The pitching has been bad, the hitting has been worse, and the defense? Donít ask.
Everything is crazy. Nothing makes sense.
Last year the Indiansí combined record vs. the Twins and White Sox was 30-8.
This year: 2-5.
Against the Tigers last year the Indians were 4-15. This year: 1-1.
Last year the Indians could catch the ball. This year they canít catch a cold. They lead the American League in errors, and their .974 fielding percentage is the worst in the majors.
In order to find an Indians team that finished a season with a worse fielding percentage than the Indians have now you have to go all the way back to 1939, when many major-league teams played on fields that were about as well manicured as a vacant lot.
Of all the whatís-going-on-hereís? with the Indians so far, their sudden defensive demise is the most baffling. Last year, the Indians were a middle-of-the-pack team defensively. This year they are the Bad News Bears.
Virtually every position player starter is back at the same position this year as he was last year. Last year, they were a very adequate defensive team. This year batted balls turn into Easter egg hunts.
Yan Gomes, who won the starting catching job in large part because he is a far better defensive catcher than Carlos Santana, has already made seven errors, two more than Santana did all of last year.
Zach McAllister has almost as many errors (two) as wins (three), and he has been the Indiansí most consistent starting pitcher. Lonnie Chisenhall, who hardly even plays in the field anymore, has two errors, and Michael Bourn, who won two Gold Gloves in the National League, already has an error.
Reliever CC Lee, who hasnít pitched at all in 20 of the Indiansí 28 games, has only had two balls hit to him this season, but he made an error on one of them, which means his fielding percentage is .500, which is ó and I mean this with all due respect ó rock, paper, scissors territory.
Heck, even the heretofore pristine Michael Brantley, who came into the season with a franchise-record 245 consecutive errorless games, has made an error.
Now you know why the Indiansí pitchers lead the league in strikeouts. They have seen what can happen when they allow the other team to put a ball in play.
If the Indians were an offensive juggernaut, they could outhit the damage caused by their errors. If they were an elite pitching team, they could out-pitch them.
But they are not and they are not ó so they cannot.
The Indians lead the league in errors, and they lead the league in errors that are magnified because of a lack of hitting and spotty starting pitching. Thatís a recipe for an 11-17 April, which was encouraging only because itís finally over.
Which is not to say there werenít some bright spots in April. There werenít, but, if there had been, thatís not to say that.
The whole month seemed like one giant Cleveland chuckhole.
Oh, and did I mention that their best player ended April with an injury and could be headed for the disabled list?
Happy May.